on eddie redmayne playing a transwoman
okay, i’ve seen so much about this, i need to have my say.
Yes, it’s awful that they didn’t choose a trans actress to play the part. Yes it’s a role that absolutely should be filled by a transwoman.
But, it’s a step. Things don’t change overnight, it’s impossible. It’s representation like we’ve never had before. This movie is going to go big, because it’s got a huge star in it. The trans community is going to get looked at, we’re going to be recognized better than we ever have been before.
Yes it should be a trans actress, no one’s denying that. But it’s still progress. And I think the community who are saying things like “I hate eddie redmayne!” and “boycott it we don’t need this bullshit” are being selfish and ungrateful. We do need this, we need this sort of representation. And the fact that Eddie Redmayne is playing the role is going to increase press and views and will mean more attention is payed.
Its not perfect. Benedict Cumberbatch playing a gay autistic man wasn’t perfect. But it’s progress. It’s so good that there’s going to be a big blockbuster centered around a transwoman. Just think about that.
Don’t hate on Redmayne, Don’t boycott the movie, Don’t compare it to fifty shades.
Take progress and run with it, don’t throw it back.
Also, let’s not forget that this is a huge thing. Hardly anyone will have heard of Lili Elbe and someone as big as Eddie Redmayne playing her is going to inform a lot of people about a very important person. For fuck’s sake, Tumblr complains when there’s no tans representation in media and when a film comes along about one of the first trans people to undergo reassignment surgery - A huge step forward in terms of representation - they complain over the actor? We had the same with Jared Leto in Dallas Buyer’s Club, but people forgot or ignored that he got input on how he should perform. He didn’t just do it for the publicity or whatever, he actually spoke to trans women and tried to emulate trans experiences as much as he could. I have no doubts that Eddie Redmayne will do the same. Come on guys, the glass isn’t half-empty all the time.